Decent housing at a price we can all afford has to be Portland’s number one priority for the next 5-10 years.

Stable, plentiful, housing at a range of prices that makes it possible for all Portlanders to have a home is the foundation for all healthy communities. Ironically, as Portland has become the hottest city in America and some residents are enjoying record prosperity, more and more of our residents are houseless, in housing crisis, just one paycheck away from losing their housing.

Without housing for all our residents the City that Works doesn’t. Homelessness and housing instability, which includes unpredictable rent hikes and evictions, make it difficult or impossible for many residents to get and keep a job, further their education or skills training, take care of chronic health conditions, and much more. We can and must do better and it will take the efforts of the entire city council and the Mayor to create the change we need.

I had a ringside seat or was directly involved in some of the most far reaching public projects and initiatives since 1997. I have seen how promising projects didn't get built as intended. South Waterfront and downtown waterfront are the poster children for great visions not well executed in large part due to city hall bureaucracy. I continually hit a brick wall in City Hall: low energy, insufficient expertise, red tape galore. I have learned a lot about how to get projects done in the City, and I want to bring that can-do attitude into City Hall.

My projects especially in Rockwood, Lents, the Communities of Color Coalition and for the Native American Youth Association (NAYA) have helped educate me on the relationship between housing, families, schools, neighborhoods, transportation, and work. The projects also exposed me to a pattern of broken promises to communities of color by elected officials. My planning work for downtown, South Waterfront, Division, Woodlawn, and MLK also have grown my ability to see what make cities work.

There’s no one in city government with more experience and knowledge of housing and urban design than I have. We need more expertise, more passion and urgency in making Portland the City the Works for All of Us, especially for those being left behind. That’s why I'm running.